The Dream
The Mysteries of the Unknowable and Undeniable Dream, also known simply as The Dream, is a complex theological movement based around the prophetic messages of an alien being known as Ang-taong'Mapangarapin'na-Pangarap'Lahat'ng'pag-iral, the Dreamer that Dreams of Existence into Existence. Through strict observation of monastic practices, the followers of the Dream connect with the intangible motivations of their slumbering deity, gaining insights on how best to serve its complex will. While originally an exclusively Yith faith, recent revelations have caused the leadership of the Dream to begin a campaign of mass conversion and outreach. Through well placed clergy and focused diplomatic actions, the Dream has expanded its focus to the waking world. To what end remains unclear, even to the Dream itself. What is certain is that the fate of two universes rests in the hands of those who gain truth from the realm of sleep. Overview Tenets and Practices The tenets of the Dream are esoteric at best. The Slumbering God is a distant deity, challenging its faithful to discern the confusing visions it bestows on their own. As such, the principles of the faith are simple, with a strong emphasis on self-reliance, wisdom, and cunning. If there are laws of the Dream, it could be argued that the first would be the Dreamer must never wake. However, this is an oversimplification. The Dream is convinced the fate of two universes rests on the perpetual sleep of their deity. Should it wake, catastrophe would follow. This belief gives the faithful of the Dream an extreme sense of purpose. Where other faiths believe they are bringing spiritual salvation to their followers, the Dream knows with absolute certainty that they are protecting the lives of every living being. This belief gives way to the second principle of the Dream: What is the value of one life when compared to a hundred? The followers of the Dream are pragmatic people. The fate of all life hinges on their success. The machinations of the Dream must not concern themselves with individual desires. This principle presents itself in two ways. First, the followers of the Dream practice self-denial, self-discipline, and self-restraint. Vows of celibacy, silence, or poverty are common among the faithful, and some practitioners go so far as to refuse to touch non-initiates of the Dream. Second, the followers of the Dream do not concern themselves with the whims or wants of others. The desires of the individual are meaningless compared to the well being of collective. The will of the Dream dictates what is the best interest of the people, not the people themselves. If the Dream dictates two kingdoms should be united, it matters not if the rulers desire it as well. They will be persuaded. Or their successors will, following an unfortunate accident which removes the unruly leader. After all, what is the value of one life? Another principle of the Dream is that emotions are considered corrosive to the faithful. The realm of sleep is the dominion of the mind, thus logic is the language of dreams. The faithful of the Dream strive to conduct themselves dispassionately, even in the most extreme of situations. Blood-lust, hatred, and rage are useful tools, but can cloud the mind of a warrior, contributing to their inevitable defeat. Conversely, an emphasis on strategy, duplicity, and subterfuge rarely results in failure. Dreaming, either through sleep or mediation, is obviously a core component of the faith. Through the act of dreaming, the Slumbering God communes with the faithful, offering wisdom to those clever enough to decipher its cryptic messages. Dreams are also where the faithful can process the chaotic information they are bombarded with throughout the day. The realm of sleep is a dreamers sanctuary, and none know this better than the faithful. Morality and ethics are dictated by the will of the Dream. They are vague and singularly focused. All that which advances the goals of the Dream is good and lawful. All which interferes with the Dream are chaotic and evil. Murder a child? If the Dream demands it, so be it. Save a city? If the Dream demands it, so be it. But what of the laws of Sigil? The laws of the waking world are as material as the boundaries of the dream are to the dream. Laws should be followed to demonstrate a willingness to cooperate and as required for self-preservation, but following the laws of others should never hinder the will of the Dream. As long as the laws of the waking world work to advance the goals of the Dream, they are to be observed. If they do not, they are to be ignored. Beyond this, the Dream is left to interpretation. The followers of the Dream are afforded the freedom to pursue the mysteries of Slumbering God as they see fit. No two people share a single dream, likewise no two priests practice the faith in the same fashion. History The Yitharri and Yithai To understand the history of the Dream, one must first understand the complex and often contradictory nature of the Arcanus. It is believed that, like the Astralis, the Arcanus has always existed. However, those who exist within the Arcanus know that the infinite warp has gone through a series of catastrophic collapses. With each collapse, all life within the infinite warp is eradicated, returning all matter to the swirling mass of psychic energy in the heart of the Arcanus. It was one of these collapses which led to the Fae Exodus. As the Arcanus shuttered in its final death rattle, the fey poured into the Astralis as refugees, knowing their cities, families, and histories were lost forever. After each collapse, the warp reconfigured and the Arcanus was born anew. Following the collapse of the Faewyld, the name given to the Arcanus by the ancient denizens of Astralis, the warp was reborn in its current incarnation; Yithai, or the Dreamheart. More than any previous incarnation of the Arcanus, the Dreamheart was shaped by the unconscious thoughts of inhabitants of the Astralis. As the living souls of the Astralis dreamed, their desires and fears charged the warp, causing it to churn. And from the roiling center of the Dreamheart came the Yitharri. To the Yitharri, the Dreamheart was eternal. Due to the nature of the Arcanus, the Yitharri believed they had always existed. Slowly, they advanced further out from the center of the Arcanus, exploring the frayed edges of their wild home. It was here that the Yitharri made a terrifying discovery; remnants of the Faewyld. Amidst the fractured spheres and planes, the Yitharri unearthed ruined cities, ancient texts, and preserved corpses of those trapped in the Arcanus as it collapsed. The Yitharri realized their knowledge extended a mere ten thousand years back, and the relics discovered were centuries older. The truth of the Arcanus became clear to the Yitharri. For the first time in their timeless existence, the Yitharri knew the fear of death. Not as a theortical, but as a absolute certainty. The days of Yitharri were numbered. However, unlike the fey before them, the Yitharri did not seek to abandon their home. They would not flee. Arrogant and logical, the Yitharri hypothesized that the collapse of the Arcanus must be cause by something. Something they could control. The undeniable flow of energy which spun the heart of the warp had to have an origin, and thus the great minds of the YItharri began to unravel the mysteries of the warp. Before long, the Yitharri discovered the Astralis, and learned of the link between the two Great Planes. The psychic energy created by the mortal beings of the Astralis created the warp and shaped the Arcanus. Specifically, the psychic energy created as the mortals dreamed. Thus a plan was formed. Somehow, the Yitharri would severe the dreams of the mortals from the Dreamheart and prevent the inevitable collapse of the Arcanus. To do so, the Yitharri would need to enter the Astralis. Though the feys had done so before, with the collapse and rebirth of the Arcanus, the nature of the plane had changed. The Yitharri, unlike the fey before them, could never physically enter the Astralis. Though they could influence the dreams of the mortals, that was the extent of their power. However, they soon realized the mortals of the Astralis could be manipulated by the Yitharri. This manipulation could extend to possession of their mortal forms. This realization proved to be the key to the Yitharri success. An elite group of Yitharri would enter the minds of powerful mortal wizards, and together cast a spell severing the dream connection the Arcanus and the Astralis, thereby saving the Yitharri. The elite group, known as the Mimpi'jernih, prepared the complex ritual, selected their mortal vessels, and finally entered the minds of the mortal wizards. Almost immediately, the failure of the Mimpi'jernih was made apparent. No spell was cast. No connection was severed. Any attempt to contact the agents of the Mimpi'jernih was met with failure. Something had gone horribly wrong. And in the heart of the warp something was stirring. The Slumbering God The remaining Yitharri, sensing the warp churing, raced to the center of Dreamheart. Had the end come? Was destruction eminent? Yet, what the Yitharri found in the center of the Arcanus would change the course of their history. They found Ang-taong'Mapangarapin'na-Pangarap'Lahat'ng'pag-iral, the Slumbering God. Though the Yitharri had only just discovered the Dreaming God, they were flooding with the sense that they had always served it. Such is the bizarre nature of the Arcanus. Though Ang-taong'Mapangarapin'na-Pangarap'Lahat'ng'pag-iral had only just been born, it had always existed, and yet it never existed and still does not. However, the Yitharri did not question this. They knew their god and creator. As their god stirred in its slumber, the Yitharri were overcome with visions. Visions of purpose. Visions of salvation. The vision revealed that the Mimpi'jernih were blasphemers. They had abandoned the Dreamer, and the Yitharri, to destruction. They had been corrupted by the influences of the Astralis. What the Yitharri did not realize at the time, was that dreamers cannot walk among the world of the waking, at least not without protection. Not without a plan. Not without a purpose, the Slumbering God whispered. A glorious new purpose. The purpose long thought forgotten. The purpose that the Yitharri were created to fulfill. The Yitharri would not sever the connection between the two Greater Planes. Such an act would destroy the fabric of all reality. Furthermore, the Slumbering God revealed that should the Yitharri fail and the Arcanus collapse as it had before, it would not only destroy the Yitharri but all life. Both the realm of sleep and the waking world would cease to be. Thus the Yitharri understood their purpose. They would save all life. They would save all reality. To do so, the Yitharri would need to control all reality. Forever. And thus the Dream was conceived. Ang-taong'Mapangarapin'na-Pangarap'Lahat'ng'pag-iral appointed two Yitharri to lead the Dream, Con'acmong'Doibai and Baoto-ncac'giacmo. Together, under the guidance of the slumbering deity, the two began an ambitious plot to manipulate every aspect of the lives of the mortals of Astralis, as well as create suitable uncorruptible forms for their agents to enter the world of the waking. To do this, Con'acmong'Doibai and Baoto-ncac'giacmo began manipulating the minds of the wyvern and aboleth, two races known for their ability to alter the flesh of mortal beings. For centuries, the Yitharri guided the hands of the most ambitious breeding experiment since the Age of Progenitus. Aboleth and wyvern worked side by side to forge a new lifeform from the ashes of "willingly" sacrifices. Before long, the process which could transform corruptible mortals into suitable vessels was perfected. The Yitharri were ready to invade once more. The Children of Dreaming The leaders of both the aboleth and the wyvern fleshshapers were the first to transform themselves into vessels, sacrificing their lives to Con'acmong'Doibai and Baoto-ncac'giacmo. The Dream Serpent and the Dragon of Dreams tore through reality and entered into the realm of Sigil. There forms were monstrous and powerful, vessels fit for prophets of the slumbering god. Other Yitharri followed and, before long, the Dream had an army in the world of the waking. As the followers of the Dream opened their eyes, they were greeted with horrors. The world of the waking was a nightmare. Their forms were twisted and impure. Their surroundings were bare and without beauty. Their senses were dull and muted. Their very existence was pain. In the Arcanus, the Yitharri used their name to mean "perfect." In the Astralis, they would adopt the title of Yith, meaning "imperfect," for that is how they saw themselves and the world around them. Due to the machinations of the Yitharri, several kingdoms in the Uncharted Seas had fallen under the influence of the Dream, laying the groundwork for a mighty Yith Empire. In a few short years, the Dream had established a stronghold in the world of the waking. From there, all they needed to do was heed the whispers of the dreaming god and enact his will. However, just as before, complications arose. Con'acmong'Doibai and Baoto-ncac'giacmo discovered their direct connection to the Slumbering God was greatly diminished. The clear edicts of their mission were replaced with vague flashes of prophecy and vision. As the two attempted to interrupter the messages, Con'acmong'Doibai and Baoto-ncac'giacmo began to argue. Both developed differing opinions about the will of the Dream. Con'acmong'Doibai believed control of the lesser races was to be subtle, just as their influence of dreams had been. Mortals were best moved in small ways. Baoto-ncac'giacmo countered that mortals were more effectively moved by the most vivid of nightmares and intense dreams. Direct action was superior to subterfuge. And that the Arcanus did not have enough time to indulge a conservative plan. Before long, the two leaders were at each other's throats, accusing the other of being corrupted by the Astralis. And so the Dream divided into two factions, the Jangan Berubah, or the "Restful Truth," and the Hal'perubahan, or the "Arresting Truth." Regardless of the faction, the agenda of the Dream remains the same. Controlling the actions and, more importantly, the dreams of the denizens of the waking world. Agents of the Dream have begun a campaign of infiltration and manipulation into nearly every society of Sigil. They have, through decades of suggestion and political intrigue, established themselves as altruistic diplomats and advisers. They are supremely effective at this because the agenda of the Dream is actively beneficial to those they seek to influence. The Dream is not a tyrannical organization. They do not wish to enslave others, at least not in the way most would identify it. They exploit the inherent weaknesses of the mortal, and offer solutions which appeal to their interests. All they ask in return is that their priesthood be allowed access. To the negotiation table. To the educational institutions. To the lives of those they seek to enlighten and control. Priesthood The Jangan Berubah and the Hal'perubahan In a sense, there are two factions within the Dream: The cunning and subtle Jangan Berubah, and the authoritarian and forceful Hal'perubahan. While the distinctions between the two are esoteric at best, they are profound to the identity of the faith as a whole. The Jangan Berubah, or the Restful Truth, is a nuanced organization. They firmly believe a soft hand is the strongest method of enlightenment and control. The Jangan Berubah practice complicated strategies of integration and diplomacy as a means to their ends. The end goal is control, but the Jangan Berubah takes a shadowy approach to exerting their control on others. It is better for the agents of the Jangan Berubah to serve as an example of enlightened principles than to actively take part in the affairs of their interests. Priests of the Jangan Berubah outwardly preach wisdom and patience in all decisions, while inwardly practicing advanced dream manipulation techniques to persuade their targets to their ends. The Jangan Berubah also believes that the best method of manipulation is reward. As they are traditionally advisers, they advocate mutually beneficial outcomes over self interested agendas. Aiding a king to a peaceful resolution with rebellious subjects is a far better use of the Jangan Berubah energies than encouraging that king to conflict. Of course, the Jangan Berubah were the ones who manipulated the discontent of the subjects in the first place, but to the Jangan Berubah, the outcome justifies the means. The king has shown mercy and wisdom, the subjects have peacefully expressed their grievances, and the agents of the Jangan Berubah have proven themselves as trustworthy and level-headed councilors. All are therefore enlightened by the truth of the Dream. In this way, the Jangan Berubah see themselves as altruistic pacifists. They would rather persuade an ally to peaceful resolution, and manipulate an enemy to exhaust their resources and defeat themselves. Excessive bloodshed is too loud, and will wake the sleeping subject from the beauty of the dream they have built. That is not to say the Jangan Berubah do not fight. However, when the Jangan Berubah do fight, they do so swiftly, effectively, and with little collateral damage. They are an example of a more enlightened way of thinking, after all. Mercy, while not a core tenet of the Dream, is a highly regarded principle of the Jangan Berubah. Of course, it is not mercy for mercy's sake. Mercy is a virtue among all mortal races, and to demonstrate the virtues of the waking world helps to integrate the agents of the Jangan Berubah. Agents of the Jangan Berubah are categorically meditative. They suppress the mortal drive within themselves to react passionately. Those in their care, often other races, are looked at as children. Weak and impressionable. By giving into their baser instincts, those emotions inherently foreign to Yitharri, what example are they setting for the lesser races they mean to enlighten? Truth is gained from the Dream, and only through mediation and restraint can one hear the mysteries within the Dream. The only exception to this practice is when an agent of the Jangan Berubah is forced to confront an agent of the Hal'perubahan. As the principles of the Hal'perubahan are in direct conflict with those of the Jangan Berubah, there is no measure too extreme if it stops the influence of their rival. Category:Organizations Category:Religions